The Keen Observer
by AngelCSI
Summary: Response to Unbound Weekly Improv Challenge. Nick uses his skills of observation and knowledge gleaned from one too many sisters to good use.


Author's Note: Yet another Unbound Improv Challenge, with first and last lines provided. I couldn't resist. As always, I don't own any of the characters – they just decided to come out to play.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed my stories. I'm not sure what the proper netiquette is, whether I should e-mail y'all back, but I do appreciate the feedback even if I don't contact you. (I get all warm and fuzzy feeling!)

On to the story. . .

"Don't hurt yourself."

Nick turned and looked at Sara incredulously. His current position on a small stepladder was far from dangerous, but she was eyeing the ladder as if it were going to buck him off at any moment.

"Geez, Sara, I haven't seen anyone this overprotective since my sister was pregnant with her first kid," he joked. Her eyes snapped to his, but instead of laughing at his jest, her face went paper white and she began wobbling on her feet.

"Oh crap!" In his haste to reach her before she crumpled, Nick's feet tangled in the steps and he nearly fell over. As he quickly regained his balance and placed a supporting hand under her elbow, he fleetingly thought of her previous warning and smirked. The officer who had first answered the call about the breaking and entering stuck his head into the luxury suite at the noise, but Nick waved him off. He gently pushed Sara onto the plush couch and pulled her head until it was between her knees.

"Just concentrate on breathing. Large breaths – in and out," he sing-songed while his mind raced. He had seen enough people pass out to know the signs, but he thought he had reached her in time. The last thing he needed was his pregnant partner falling out in the middle of a crime scene. And how weird was it to realize Sara was pregnant?

"How far along are you?" he asked when he saw that she had regained some color to her face. She turned her brown eyes up to his, a mixture of embarrassment and determination shining from them.

"Seven weeks. I can't believe you figured it out!"

"When you have as many sisters as I do, you learn way more about pregnancy and hormones than any man should know," he admitted. "It's a survival thing – you need to know when to duck."

His small joke had the effect he wanted and he could see Sara visibly relax. She gave him a small smile as she sat up. "Can we keep this just between us for a little while?" I haven't told anybody yet."

"No one?"

The smile vanished at his question and Sara shook her head. "Not even the father. I'm not sure how he'll react." At Nick's quick frown, she reassured him, "Don't worry. If he's a butt about it, I'll let you beat him up."

"I'm pretty sure Warrick would like to help," he responded seriously. After her short bark of laughter he continued. "How are you with all of this?"

"Excited. Scared. Happy. Pissed off. Nauseated."

"You know you have to tell Grissom, right?" Nick asked gently. Again, Sara's eyes flew to his and all color drained from her face. Nick shoved her head back down before the implication hit him.

"Grissom?! The dad is Grissom? Oh man, I just meant you had to tell him because he's your supervisor. I didn't even know you guys had hooked up!" Nick slid next to Sara on the couch, unconsciously mirroring her pose as he took the information in.

"We didn't want to tell anyone because of the whole supervisor thing," Sara began, turning her head to face him. "I think we were a little scared, too. We'd danced around each other for so long that it seemed weird to actually be together, and then it just kept growing." She paused and a beautiful smile graced her face, making her eyes light up brilliantly. "He wants to marry me."

Nick noticed the change and had to smile in return. The softening he'd seen in her manner over the last few months and all the sappy songs she had been singing to herself in the lab were starting to make sense. "What did you tell him?"

"That I had to think about it, that I wanted us both to be sure. I guess I'm going to have to hurry this decision along, huh?" Sara said, protectively rubbing her still-flat stomach. "I always knew that I'd say yes – I just didn't want him to freak out because things were going so fast. So much for not rushing into things!"

Nick sat up, pulling her into a brotherly hug. "Don't sweat it. He's smart enough to realize what lucky man he is. He gets you and to have a child with you. What more could a guy ask for?" Looking down, Nick could see the tears forming in her eyes and decided that the mood needed lightening. "Besides, he should have thought of that before he knocked you up."

Sara pulled back in shock at his words, then burst out laughing. "Great, now I have to kill you."


End file.
